Electric connecting device

ABSTRACT

An assembly of electrical connecting devices characterized in that it comprises, in a high-voltage electric station, a first contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a first compartment or cell, said first contact being electrically connected to a first conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a second contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a second compartment or cell, said second contact being electrically connected to a second conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a connecting member in the form of a bent bar having substantially the shape of an inverted U, made of conducting material and having its ends immersed in said cups for engagement with said contacts and its intermediate portion emerging from said cups and adapted to be electrically insulated.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Yves Bokshorn Villiers-sur-marne; Jean-Pierre H. Boudiak, Gagny, both of France [2]] Appl. No. 10,792 [22] Filed Feb. 12, 1970 [45] Patented Nov. 23, 1971 [73] Assignee COQ-France Pantin, France [32] Priority Dec. 9, I969 [33] France [31 6942446 [54] ELECTRIC CONNECTING DEVICE 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs. 7

[52] US. Cl 339/19, 3 39/ l l l [51] Int. Cl H01r 3l/08 [50] Field of Search 339/19, 1 l l, [12, 115, l 17; 200/150 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 264,655 9/ l 882 Edison 339/1 ll Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Hafer Attorney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman ABSTRACT: An assembly of electrical connecting devices characterized in that it comprises, in a high-voltage electric station, a first contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a first compartment or cell, said first contact being electrically connected to a first conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a second contact disposed in the bottom ofa cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a second compartment or cell, said second contact being electrically connected to a second conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a connecting member in the form of a bent bar having substantially the shape of an inverted U, made of conducting material and having its ends immersed in said cups for engagement with said contacts and its intermediate portion emerging from said cups and adapted to be electrically insulated.

ELECTRIC CONNECTING DEVICE This invention relates to electric connecting devices and has specific reference to a connecting device for interconnecting at least two live contacts disposed in different compartments of an electric station, notably a so-called shielded plug-intype station having a metal sheathing, such as currently used in high-voltage wiring systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known in metal shielded electric stations of this type to solve the problem of interconnecting the live elements in the various compartments generally by using so-called pinch or press leads, i.e., rigid conducting members nonreleasably connected to the elements to be interconnected, and insulated by a piece of solid dielectric material at their passage through metal walls, a known inconvenience of this rigid connection residing in the necessity of disassembling the various compartments and therefore prolonged holdup times for the station, for example in case of failure or damages. Now in many instances the sectioning of this station into its different levels must not exceed a relatively short time period. This is observed notably in double-branching stations in which a failure in one cell should not entail a complete holding up of the operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention contemplates a type of high-voltage electric connecting devices imparting a remarkable flexibility to the station while permitting a very easy and quick disconnection of the live elements pertaining to different compartments.

This assembly is characterized basically in that it comprises, in a high-voltage station, a first contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a first compartment or cell, said first contact being electrically connected to a first conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a second contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a second compartment or cell, said second contact being electrically connected to a second conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a connecting member in the form of a bent bar having substantially the shape of an inverted U, made of conducting material and having its ends immersed in said cups for engagement with said contacts and its intermediate portion emerging from said cups and adapted to be electrically insulated.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the attached drawing illustrating diagrammatically by way of example the manner in which this invention may be carried out in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic view showing a specific form of embodiment of the connecting device according to this invention, and

FIG. 2 is a detail view showing a modified form of embodiment of the contact carried by each operative end of the device.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view, similar to FIG. 1, of a modified connecting device.

As clearly shown in FIG. I the function of this device is to provide a detachable electrical connection between a conductor Al disposed in a compartment or cell BI and another conductor A2 disposed in another compartment or cell B2, it being understood that the term conductor" is meant to designate herein any members adapted to be supplied with electric current, for example bars, cable ends, switch contacts, sectionalizing switch contacts, break-switch contacts, etc.

According to.this invention, each compartment is provided with a cup or like vessel In (or lb) containing a liquid dielectric substance and having its bottom provided with a plug-in contact 2a (or 2b) either of female type (FIG. I) or male type (2c, FIG. 2) connected to said conductor Al (or A2).

The end portions 3a (or 3b), each provided with a male contact adapted to be plugged into the bottom female contact 2a (or 2b) of a bar 3 of conducting material having substantially the shape of an inverted U, are inserted into these cups. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 each bar end comprises a female contact 30 adapted to engage a corresponding male contact 20 disposed in the bottom of the corresponding cup. The intermediate bow-shaped portion 3m of this U-shaped bar 3, or at least the portion thereof which projects from the cups la and lb is coated with insulating material either by molding (compression or injection molding) a suitable plastic material, or by stratification or lamination (such as reeled and impregnated glass fiber).

The shape and curvature of the bar 3 are subordinate to the three-dimensional positions of the contacts to be interconnected and also of the compartments or cells containing these contacts, with due consideration for the minimum permissible radius for the insulator.

The exterior of the insulated portion 3m of bar 3 is metal coated in order to fix the electric field.

Deflectors 4a (or 4b) are disposed around the branches of the U-shaped bar 3 for meeting electric strain requirements.

Advantageously, these deflectors frustoconical in shape with the larger base at the bottom are carried by the walls of the cup or by sleeves 5a (or 5b) rigidly mounted to the walls of the compartments or cells.

The above-described connecting device may be used between the various compartments of a station (such as between a switch and a cable junction box, or between a switch and a fuse box), or between cells containing a set of sectioned 'bars, another application consisting in the quick extension of an existing station (FIG. 1

In case the connecting member 3 leads to a fuse box, the fuse will connect said member 3 to the second contact, for example contact 2b. Referring to FIG. 3 wherein this exemplary embodiment is illustrated, it will be readily apparent to those conversantwith the art that the member 3 is provided with a jaw electrically connected to the end 3b comprising a deflector and clamping one of the fuse terniinals,-'the other terminal being clamped in another jaw solid with a pin adapted to engage the contact 2b. Of course, these jaws and the fuse are enclosed in a two-section case or box containing air as a dielectric, this case or box being suspended in the cup lb.

The construction of the cups for plugging in the connecting devices to the fixed portion must be such that their dielectric properties be not adversely affected by the possible release of the plugs in the connection.

The introduction of bent bars into the cells may take place through openings equipped with automatically closing shutters or flaps.

What is claimed as new is:

I. An assembly of electrical connecting devices characterized in that it comprises, in a high-voltage electric station, a first contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a first compartment or cell, said first contact being electrically connected to a first conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a second contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a second compartment or cell, said second contact being electrically connected to a second conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a connecting member in the form of a bent bar having substantially the shape of an inverted U, made of conducting material and having its ends immersed in said cups for engagement with said contacts and its intermediate portion emerging from said cups and adapted to be electrically insulated.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim I, wherein said connecting member comprises at one end a case containing a fuse, said fuse providing the electrical connection between said member and the second contact.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that one end of said connecting member comprises a jaw adapted IOIOIMZ to clamp one terminal of said fuse, a second jaw adapted to clamp the other terminal being carried by said case and detachably connected by plug-in means to said second contact.

4. A high-voltage wiring system comprising: a first compartment; a first live high-voltage conductor disposed in said first compartment; a second compartment; a second live high-voltage conductor disposed in said second compartment; a separate cup in each said compartment; each cup containing a liquid dielectric substance; the interior of each cup at the bottom thereof, within said liquid dielectric substance being provided with a plug-in contact; means electrically connecting each plug-in contact with the said conductor within the respective compartment;

a bar of conducting material of inverted U shape;

said bar having two opposite end portions each being provided with a plug-in contact adapted to be removably plugged together with a respective one of said plug-in contacts of said cups;

the portion of said bar intermediate said cups and projecting therefrom being coated with electrical insulating material;

the exterior of the coating of electrical insulating material being conductively coated; and

the bar at each end of the electrical insulating coating being provided with means defining a tubular, downwardly frustoconically enlarging deflector disposed within the liquid dielectric substance when the contacts of said bar are plugged into the contacts of said cups.

# i t i 

1. An assembly of electrical connecting devices characterized in that it comprises, in a high-voltage electric station, a first contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a first compartment or cell, said first contact being electrically connected to a first conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a second contact disposed in the bottom of a cup filled with a liquid dielectric substance and projecting towards the bottom of a second compartment or cell, said second contact being electrically connected to a second conductor adapted to transmit electric current, a connecting member in the form of a bent bar having substantially the shape of an inverted U, made of conducting material and having its ends immersed in said cups for engagement with said contacts and its intermediate portion emerging from said cups and adapted to be electrically insulated.
 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said connecting member comprises at one end a case containing a fuse, said fuse providing the electrical connection between said member and the second contact.
 3. An assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that one end of said connecting member comprises a jaw adapted to clamp one terminal of said fuse, a second jaw adapted to clamp the other terminal being carried by said case and detachably connected by plug-in means to said second contact.
 4. A high-voltage wiring system comprising: a first compartment; a first live high-voltage conductor disposed in said first compartment; a second compartment; a second live high-voltage conductor disposed in said second compartment; a separate cup in each said compartment; each cup containing a liquid dielectric substance; the interior of each cup at the bottom thereof, within said liquid dielectric substance being provided with a plug-in contact; means electrically connecting each plug-in contact with the said conductor within the respective compartment; a bar of conducting material of inverted U shape; said bar having two opposite end portions each being provided with a plug-in contact adapted to be removably plugged together with a respective one of said plug-in contacts of said cups; the portion of said bar intermediate said cups and projecting therefrom being coated with electrical insulating material; the exterior of the coating of electrical insulating material being conductively coated; and the bar at each end of the electrical insulating coating being provided with means defining a tubular, downwardly frustoconically enlarging deflector disposed within the liquid dielectric substance when the contacts of said bar are plugged into the contacts of said cups. 